Sunday 17 March 2019

Dancing

1986: Dodo Carnival
The Dodo Carnival is a tradition of wearing animal masks and dancing though the villages of Burkina Faso which sounds like a fun day out. The Dodo legend originated in Nigeria and was introduced into Burkina Faso by traders. The story goes that a man during the Friday of Ramadan went hunting, which is forbidden, and killed an animal. He was punished by being transformed into a man with an animal head but his village did not shun him but tried to gain mercy from the gods by dance and there it is on the stamp.
1950-52 Airmail
More dressing up but here for the Dance of the Half Moon
1970: Visit Indonesia - Traditional Dances (Design: Soerosa)
For something prettier turn to Timor dancers who can make their own music.
1982: Europa - British Theatre (Design (Adrian George)
Or perhaps a floaty ballet dress. The designer Adrian George won an international award for this set and also Most Beautiful Stamp in the World which I would guess was for this ballerina
1959-1965: Copenhagen Music and Ballet Festivals (Design - H Thelander; Engraver - B Jacobsen)

Another ballerina dances into view and the stamp features Margrethe Schanne in her most iconic role, from the one act ballet Les Sylphides which she danced over 100 times including her farewell performance for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1966. She was also the first living Dane (apart from the Royal family) to appear on a Danish stamp.  The music for Les Sylphides is Chopin but if you prefer Tchaikovsky
1993: Death Centenary of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Design - Riess)
then maybe take a trip to see Swan Lake or perhaps it is showing on a television set somewhere but of a much larger size than this one -
2000: The 20th Century Issue 3 (Design - Keith Bassford; Engraver - Martin Morck)
Is this a comment on women's roles in the 1950s?  The theme is communications and Arena was a Danish producer of radio and television sets started by Ove Heath Nielsen in the corner of his father's bicycle factory but grew to become the largest supplier of televisions in Denmark in the late 1950s.  Today its place is in the Industrial Museum in Horsens where the factory was located.



Sunday Stamps II prompt this week is the Letter D - here for Denmark, Dodo and Dance - See It On A Postcard



9 comments:

FinnBadger said...

I'm amazed at the variety of dancers you've received on stamps. I think the Dance of the Half Moon is the most interesting.

Ana said...

that Dodo stamp is scary :D

Love the dance stamps, esp. the British Theatre one - I think it conveys the fragile beauty of ballet!

Mail Adventures said...

"Most Beautiful Stamp in the World" sounds like a really great thing! It would be very difficult to me, if I had to choose. Only one? I'm unable of choosing only one among the stamps you presented this week! I love the stories connected to them as well.

Heleen said...

Such a nice diversity of stamps!

The Burkina Faso stamp is intriguing, interesting to read how the voillage helped the man.

The British Theatre ballet stamp seems to show a colour pencil drawing, very unusual for a stamp, but pretty anyway :-)

violet s said...

The British Theatre stamp is indeed beautiful (and of the four in the set, I think this is the one like best)
The man-lion in Burkina Faso does not look at all happy.
The last Danish stamp is rather odd - but you did get some dusting as another D!

Bob Scotney said...

What a fine selection of dancers, The Mexico stamp fascinates me.

Beth Niquette said...

These are fabulous. Wow! Where do you find these? I love the research you've done--I learned something new today.

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